Thoughtful and accessible discussion on acting -- love this book.

 Phil the pixie "should be" small and dainty like other pixies, but instead is 6ft and solid.  This makes it hard for him to fit in and find a job in the caring sector, where most/all pixies stereotypically work.  Sedrick, a werewolf, has taken in his niblings after the tragic death of their parents -- but running his own mining business, he needs someone to look after them without being baby-wolf mauled in the process, and while they are all fighting a bitter custody battle with an evil-grandfather-in-law. 

This is a largely fluffy, entertaining story of two adults figuring out how to care for two kids, in a very biased and "stay in your lane" magical society.  The romance is definitely a distant second-place to the slice-of-life family drama, and honestly could have been left out except then it'd be hard to classify the genre.

What I'm still dwelling on are the epic and largely unaddressed consent issues throughout.  Pixies 'bond' to a garden / home / social setting etc. and can die if removed from it.  And yet, it's quite "normal" for Sedrick to hire a pixie to look after house and kids, and no-one thinks twice until the plot requires it.  I'd definitely be in the market for an alternate version, where consent is discussed head-on: for Phil throughout, for the kids connecting with an unrelated adult, and for the societal ethics of bonding with places where landrights can supercede magic with potentially fatal consequences.  (Am probably more aware of this, having just finished Benedict Jacka's 'An Inheritance of Magic' where the magic/landrights debate is being played out more deliberately.)

Set in modern-day London in a world with semi-secret crafting-based magic, all Stephen has is a minimum wage job and a cat.  He's getting by, more or less, since his father disappeared, but happily for the plot of this book, is plunged into mystery, violence and intrigue by the machinations of House Ashford, a super-rich, super-magical family.

This is an extremely introductory book, and nearly doesn't have a plot at all in places.  Stephen spends a lot of time grinding for magical power, money for rent, and information.  Still, he's an interesting character to follow, and yes there is a lot of info to dump but it is spread evenly through the book.  The action sequences are solid and show how his levelling up is going.  

I wish I'd left this book to nearer the release of the second book (?October '24?), because I think it'd be great to get this overview and then crack on straightaway with the plot.  I think this'll work for people who've enjoyed the Alex Verus series, since we (largely,

let us never speak of that awful epilogue novella

) trust the author, but not so sure I'd recommend it to newcomers unless they're in the market for a detailed hard magic system, connecting to land-rights and general richness.  Or a cat called Hobbes.